{"id":1417,"date":"2023-07-01T09:47:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T09:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/?p=1417"},"modified":"2023-07-03T19:09:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T19:09:36","slug":"northern-weekly-salvo-311","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/northern-weekly-salvo-311","title":{"rendered":"Northern Weekly Salvo 311"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Weekly Salvo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Incorporating \u00a0Slaithwaite Review of Books, Weekly Notices, Sectional Appendices, Tunnel Gazers\u2019 Gazette etc. <\/em>Descendant of Teddy Ashton\u2019s Northern Weekly <\/em>and Th\u2019Bowtun Loominary un Tum Fowt Telegraph.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>In association with The Lancashire and North Lonsdale Loominary<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Published at Station House, Kents Bank, Lancashire-North-of-the-Sands, LA11 7BB <\/strong>email: paul.salveson@myphone.coop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Publications website: www.lancashireloominary.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. 311 June 30th<\/sup> \u00a02023\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SUMMER SATURDAY RELIEF<\/strong><\/p>\n

Salveson\u2019s half-nakedly political digest of railways, tripe and secessionist nonsense from Up North. Not really weekly, definitely Northern.<\/p>\n

After a long gap\u2026.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Here\u2019s your Summer Salvo\u2026.after a long gap here\u2019s a bumper \u2018Bolton Holidays\u2019 special. The usual varied focus including a look at the current state of things within the railway industry, a fascinating new novel set in Farnworth and Hindley, arguments for \u2018The Parish Commune\u2019 and some recent trips to places of interest across the North.<\/p>\n

My latest book Lancastrians \u2013 mills, mines and minarets <\/em>is now available. It\u2019s a rather unconventional history of an unconventional place. We can\u2019t even agree where it actually is (I cover \u2018real Lancashire from the Mersey to the Lakes). \"\"It\u2019s about culture, identity and the rise, fall and maybe the rise again of a great county-region. More details elsewhere in The Salvo<\/em> – events are being planned in Blackburn, Bolton, Barrow, Blackrod and other places not beginning with \u2018B\u2019 including Grange-over-Sands (July 12th). Open to invitations for talks elsewhere.<\/p>\n

It has been a bad time for friends passing on. Keen Salvo<\/em> reader, ace reciter, model engineer and surgeon John Brandrick died suddenly a few weeks ago. Harold Elletson, former Tory MP, naked gardener and subsequent champion of Northern devolution, died in Berlin a few days ago (see Times<\/em> and Daily Telegraph<\/em> obituaries June 29th<\/sup>). David Tomlinson, who did outstanding work around drug rehabilitation, died in London recently. Condolences to their families and friends.<\/p>\n

Holiday Time!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Today (Saturday June 30th<\/sup>) would have been the start of Bolton Holidays \u2013 always the last Friday of June, for a fortnight. Everywhere shut. Looking back, the two weeks had an almost surreal air, with normal life totally changed. I suppose you could say it was as though a huge pandemic had hit Lancashire and everyone had died. In fact they were enjoying themselves in Blackpool, Rhyl, Newquay or Scarborough. The same process had been repeated in Oldham a week earlier, and the other cotton towns through July.<\/p>\n

The tradition of the Lancashire \u2018Wakes Weeks\u2019 (we never called it \u2018Wakes\u2019 in Bolton) goes back to medieval times and local religious ceremonies. Farnworth still had its own \u2018Wakes\u2019 in the early 1900s, which was more of a fair. Bolton holiday week was \u00a0just called \u2018Bolton Holidays\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A returning special from the Yorkshire coast with Bolton loco 73014 and Driver Bert Welsby, at Platform 11 Middle, Manchester Victoria. Sadly, ’14 didn’t perform as well as hoped and was withdrawn soon after.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the 19th<\/sup> century the combination of rapid population growth and the development of the railways allowed the possibility for working class people taking a holiday. Whitsun was the main holiday period, with a mass exodus from Bolton and other \u2018cotton towns\u2019 on Whit Friday. However, it was only in the late 19th<\/sup> century that workers were given a full week off, and that was without pay.<\/p>\n

By the end of the 19th<\/sup> century the cotton industry was a highly organised industry, with the owners combined in powerful trade associations; their counterparts were the cotton unions, equally well organised and influential. The employers decided between themselves which town would have its\u2019 week holiday. Oldham went first, followed by Bolton the week after at the end of June. Burnley, Bury and Wigan had their holidays in early July followed by Blackburn and the North-East Lancashire towns at the end of the month. The week\u2019s shutdown, only lengthened to a fortnight after the Second World War, enabled the mill engines and machinery such as looms and spinning mules to be overhauled and given a thorough clean. Paid holidays didn\u2019t come until 1941, so it was only after the war that the holiday \u2018boom\u2019 really took off. A further week was added in September.<\/p>\n

The \u2018staggered\u2019 holidays were helpful for the railway companies who would have been overwhelmed if every town had its \u2018wakes week\u2019 around the same time. As it was, the railways struggled to cope with the huge demand for \u2018specials\u2019 taking families to Blackpool, Southport, Morecambe and further afield including North Wales and the West Country.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Heading for Southport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most trains left from Trinity Street, though some \u2013 particularly the North Wales trains \u2013 went from Great Moor Street, a tradition which continued for sevral years after the station had officially closed in 1954. I was on one of the last, in 1958.<\/p>\n

During the inter-war years families would save up all year for their week\u2019s holiday. Thousands were members of savings clubs, known locally as \u2018Diddle \u2018em clubs\u2019 because of the frequency of the collectors running off with the takings! The safest option was to save with the Co-op, which also organised holidays, including transport by train or \u2018charabanc\u2019. Some companies, such as Walker\u2019s, ran their own \u2018holiday fund\u2019 which employees paid into each week.<\/p>\n

In those days it was normal for families to take their own food in tin containers\u00a0 \u2013 the landlady would cook the food for them, though there was the more expensive option of having meals made for you. In many guest houses families would invite neighbours or other members of the extended family to join them for their tea!<\/p>\n

So for one week in every year, popular destinations such as Blackpool and Rhyl became \u2018Bolton by the sea\u2019. The Bolton Evening News<\/em> was on sale along the sea front and the paper sent staff . Probably the high point of Bolton Holidays for the railways was the late 1950s and early 1960s.<\/p>\n

\"\"
getting away from it all…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1962 holidays saw 31 special trains leaving Trinity Street, 13 on the Friday evening and 18 on the Saturday. Destinations on Friday night included Newquay, Heysham (for the boat to Northern Ireland), Bournemouth, London (St Pancras), Paignton, Plymouth, Yarmouth, Holyhead, Eastbourne and Portsmouth. On the Saturday, the rush started with a train to Penychain, for Butlin\u2019s, via the now closed route from Bangor and Caernarfon. There were further North Wales trains to places including Llandudno, Bangor, Rhyl and Caernarfon. Other destinations included Filey Holiday Camp, Liverpool (for the Isle of Man), Skegness and of course Blackpool.<\/p>\n

Additional locos were drafted to Crescent Road sheds and Bolton drivers and firemen had a rare chance to widen their horizons, with some working trains through to North Wales. The coaching stock was assembled at Horwich, Lostock Junction, Moses Gate and other locations. The 7.00 special to Llandudno used \u2018borrowed\u2019 Jubilee class express loco \u2018Manitoba\u2019 and was worked by Bolton driver Jack Ritson and fireman Tommy Bustard throughout. An Oldham – Blackpool ‘Wakes Week<\/p>\n

\"\"
An oldham – Blackpool ‘Wakes Week’ special crosses Burnden Viaduct into Bolton, June 1967<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jack Hartley and fireman Cliff Edge worked a later special all the way to Bangor with another borrowed \u2018Jubilee\u2019 from Patricroft depot.<\/p>\n

Life in Bolton, especially for the first week, was completely different from usual. It became like a ghost town. The factory chimneys stopped smoking and you could see the Welsh mountains from the top of Smithills Dean Road. Most shops closed, including newsagents. Children set up \u2018pop up\u2019 paper shops on the pavements, sometimes earning a bit of extra pocket money but not always.<\/p>\n

The decline of \u2018Bolton Holidays\u2019 happened almost imperceptibly. As the mills and engineering factories went into decline there wasn\u2019t the same co-ordinated \u2018shutdown\u2019 at the end of June; the mills had shut for good. If there can be said to be an \u2018end\u2019 it was in 1992, when schools went over to a standardised national pattern of summer holidays. By then, Bolton had changed dramatically and people\u2019s leisure habits had as well. Cheap foreign holidays by air became normal, though some people maintained the old traditions of Blackpool or the North Wales Coast.<\/p>\n

(this is based on a longer piece in The Bolton News last year. Many thanks to Steve Leyland for additional notes on loco movements.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Railpolitics<\/strong><\/h5>\n

There\u2019s been a lot happening in the railway world recently. The news that TransPennine Express was to be nationalised (see elsewhere in this Salvo) didn\u2019t come as a big surprise and hopefully will provide an opportunity to re-set relationships with the unions. It was a good move to appoint Northern\u2019s Chris Jackson as interim MD (and, equally, for Craig Harrop to step into his shoes as Regional Director at Northern, also \u2018interim.\u2019) My very best wishes to both, but also to the TPE team who have copped for a lot of blame, unfairly.<\/p>\n

ASLEF has ended its ban on overtime and rest day working at TPE so hopefully things will start to change quite quickly. However, the wider dispute over pay and conditions shows little sign of being resolved any time soon. The continuing dispute is massively damaging to the railways and to its customers. If, as the unions claim, progress is being held back by UK Government interference, Sunak needs to let the unions and management get on with negotiating a settlement that\u2019s in everyone\u2019s interest. It has already happened in Scotland and Wales. Now, there\u2019s a coincidence \u2013 no UK Government sticking its oar in.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile lots of friends enjoyed watching Ben Elton\u2019s Channel 4 piece on \u2018The Great British Railway Disaster\u2019 recently. It was entertaining stuff but other than telling us what we already knew, it was short on analysis.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Avanti West Coast has struggled with labour problems but has avoided nationalisation. A Pendolino arrives at Lancaster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why has TransPennine Express been so awful? Maybe a chat with the unions might have helped. No single reason explains it all, but the ban on overtime (now relaxed) was probably the biggest cause of the misery at TPE. As I\u2019ve argued repeatedly, ownership on its own is not a panacea. You can have an absolutely awful operation run by the state and some good private train companies (Chiltern, Merseyrail to name but two). Many on The Left have this touching faith in the power of the (capitalist) state whilst The Right thinks private ownership will as if by magic run a better rail service. The reality is we now have a railway that is mainly state-controlled, with ownership of infrastructure in the hands of the state (Network Rail) and about a quarter of train services run by (UK) state-owned companies. The rest are, to a large extent, told what to do by the Government. Are there alternatives? Yes, most definitely…read on!<\/p>\n

TransPennine Express \u2013 a suitably socialised case for devolution?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The news that TransPennine Express (TPE) was to be transferred into the public sector, stripping First Group of its contract, came as little surprise. Despite new trains and a major recruitment programme, the company struggled to run a reliable service leaving thousands of passengers angry and frustrated.\u00a0 TPE is a major player in the UK transport scene, providing services across the North of England and into Scotland, under contract to the Department for Transport.<\/p>\n

So what happens now? The Government has stressed that TPE\u2019s transfer to the public sector, under the wing of the \u2018Operator of Last Resort\u2019 (OLR) was a temporary measure before the company was returned to the private sector. It joins South-Eastern, LNER and Northern as part of OLR\u2019s expanding portfolio. There remain difficult issues around industrial relations, as well as major infrastructure works forming part of the TransPennine route upgrade between Manchester and Leeds, which includes long-awaited electrification. However, the news that Aslef is ending its ban on overtime is very welcome. It lays the basis for recovery, with scope to make TPE a showpiece for what a good quality railway company should look like, both as a service to passengers and as an employer. That needs TPE\u2019s new management team being given the sort of freedom that their LNER colleagues enjoy.<\/p>\n

There a need for some longer-term thinking about how TPE should fit into the bigger picture. Currently, railways in the UK are rudderless, lacking any sort of \u2018guiding mind\u2019 to bring coherence and direction to the industry. Rumours are rife that the proposed\u00a0 \u2018Great British Railways\u2019 has been sidelined though the recent announcement that Sir Peter Hendy has been re-appointed as chair of Network Rail (effectively \u2018GBR in waiting\u2019) is very welcome and suggests there gossip could be misplaced. Had Hendy not been reappointed that would have sent a very clear message that GBR was dead. So let\u2019s see. But whether GBR happens or not, there\u2019s plenty that can<\/em> be done, sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

The current situation in the North of England, with both TPE and Northern being in the state sector, offers opportunities for fresh thinking which Labour should seize on, instead of repeating glib mantras about nationalisation (25% of all train operators are now in the state sector and infrastructure is controlled by state-run Network Rail).<\/p>\n

The last thing either TPE or Northern need is a return to the private sector, though a long period of uncertainty and \u2018interim\u2019 management won\u2019t be helpful either.\u00a0 The most straightforward approach would be to keep the two operators under state ownership. However, there is a growing appetite amongst Northern politicians to get control of their rail network; taking on responsibilities for the two Northern operators would be quite an attractive proposition.<\/p>\n

The most obvious vehicle would be Transport for the North (TfN), a sub-national transport body run by a consortium of local authorities but without the powers enjoyed by Transport for London. That should change, with more resources and expertise given to TfN. The Department for Transport has the power to transfer responsibility for both contracts to a body such as TfN if it chose to do so.<\/p>\n

If that happened, Transport for the North could, if it wanted to be more radical, set up the two operations as social enterprises. There are business models out there to guide them, including the experience of Welsh Water and other larger businesses. An arms-length mutual approach, in which any surplus is ploughed back into the business, is the sort of innovative approach which Labour should be looking it. A significant amount of worker and passenger involvement could form part of the structure.<\/p>\n

A new, socially-owned TransPennine Express, working closely with Northern, could pick up the threads that have been lost over the last couple of years and contribute towards the creation of a railway of which the North could be truly proud.<\/p>\n

That begs a bigger question about the accountability of TfN. In Scotland and Wales the transport bodies (Transport Scotland, Transport for Wales) are overseen by a democratically elected parliaments with ministers holding transport responsibilities. It\u2019s difficult to work out where the accountability of TfN lies. Its chair, Sir Patrick McLoughlin, is well respected and it could be said that his accountability is to the TfN board which comprises politicians from across the North. That\u2019s OK as far as it goes but the North needs its own directly-elected parliament \u2013 just like Wales and Scotland \u2013which could drive TfN forward and ensure it has the resources and expertise that bodies like Transport for London enjoy. Maybe regional parliaments for Yorkshire, the North-West and North-east collaborating in pan-Northern bodies like TfN would work, but the present arrangements ensure not only a lack of democratic legitimacy but a body which lacks real clout and is constantly at risk of cuts or even abolition by central Government.<\/p>\n

(This is based on a longer article article which appears in the current issue of RAIL).<\/em><\/p>\n

Moving – and remaining<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The best laid plans, as they say\u2026after announcing my complete move to Station House at Kents Bank in the last Salvo (seems a long time ago), things have changed a bit. After trying to sell my house in Bolton and not doing very well with it, I\u2019ve decided to be a true Lancashire cosmopolite and hop between Kents Bank and Bolton. We\u2019re now comfortably ensconced in our former Furness Railway residence and getting to know the local community; Station House will be much<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kents Bank Station House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

more than a \u2018holiday home\u2019. How much I\u2019ll divide my time between Bolton and Kents Bank remains to be seen; it will vary. I\u2019ll have the best of both Bolton and magnificent Morecambe Bay. It means that difficult decisions about what to do with the garden railway and my book collection can be avoided. However, a branch of the Halliwell Light Railway has appeared in the yard of Station House and will be home to visiting engines from the parent depot. Real-life human visitors to Station House are very welcome \u2013 say hello if there\u2019s any sign of life (give a \u2018one\u2019 on the signalbox bell by the front door, to call attention.)<\/p>\n

Blue Labour and radical local democracy<\/strong><\/h5>\n

I\u2019ve always liked Maurice Glasman\u2019s political writings and his willingness to speak the sometimes unspeakable. At a time when the Left in England is pretty much devoid of fresh ideas (Compass is a welcome exception to the rule \u2013 see below) Glasman keeps pushing radical ideas which ought to command a wider audience than they do. Part of the problem is the \u2018Blue Labour\u2019 name: it puts off a lot of people are Labour because they think it\u2019s a Tory incursion, and may alienate others who just see it as relevant to the Labour Party. Actually, the ideas in his latest book \u2013 Blue Labour: the Politics of the Common Good<\/em> – are relevant to a broad audience who find the simplicities of Left as well as Right. Much of his think reflects the influence of Catholic Social Teaching, which has quite a lot to offer, whatever your religious views. What I found particularly interesting in the book was Glasman\u2019s ideas for very local democracy and the potential for the much-derided \u2018parish council. He also stands up for the return of \u2018the ceremonial county\u2019 as a unit of self-government, reflecting people\u2019s continuing strong sense of identity with \u2018their\u2019 county. He says:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be a redistribution of power to the smallest unit of self-government. The parish is an elemental aspect of our polity, ecclesiastical and temporal. The parish, the country, the town and the city remain the fundamental units of affection, attachment and affiliation.\u201d (p. 116)<\/p>\n

Glasman argues for a strengthening of local democracy and the need to learn from the brave experiments in popular participation by the Kurdish People\u2019s Defence Units (YPG) in the Rojava area which did so much to defeat ISIS, \u00a0suggesting the revitalizing of local democracy through \u2018parish communes\u2019 inspired by their politics of the common good.<\/p>\n

He counterposes \u2018the ideology of globalization\u2019 based on \u2018the centrality of the internet, of online shopping and Netflix\u2019 with active citizenship and says: \u2018Unlike the parish council, which has very limited powers, the parish commune would be a direct democracy in which issues of immediate concern to residents could be addressed and voted upon\u2026.\u2019<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say that there is scope to build on the work of some existing parish and town councils to develop his ideas for \u2018parish communes (I keep putting in \u2018Paris Commune\u2019 which was quite a different and much bloodier \u00a0thing). The \u2018Flatpack Democracy\u2019 ideas developed by the \u2018Independents for Frome\u2019 have shown that what was a dreary and inactive parish council can be transformed. If Maurice hasn\u2019t visited Frome, I\u2019d suggest he hops on a GWR train and meets up with some of the Flatpack democrats: it would be a very productive conversation.<\/p>\n

Finding my political Compass<\/strong><\/h5>\n

After a slight reluctance (too many meetings in one day) I was persuaded by our CRP treasurer to attend the Compass open meeting in Manchester a few weeks\u2019 ago to launch its \u2018Winning as One\u2019 campaign. Compass is a great organization, lobbying hard for greater democracy and a \u2018politics of the common good\u2019. A central focus is the need for voting reform, and getting proportional representation. Compass is \u2018of the Left\u2019 but provides welcome space for Greens, Lib \"\"Dems and nonaligned radicals (self included) as well as Labour types. Neal Lawson, founder of Compass and a great \u2018bringer together\u2019 of people, is currently under threat of expulsion from the Labour Party for advocating cross-party working , which is further reason why I\u2019m less and less likely to vote Labour at a General Election.<\/p>\n

The Manchester event included Andy Burnham, who spoke well, and passionately, on the need for PR and a more inclusive form of politics. It was held at the Night and Day Caf\u00e9 in central Manchester and included some amazing street music from \u2018Mr Wilson\u2019s Second Levelers\u2019. Compass described the evening:<\/p>\n

The Greater Manchester Mayor joined Compass Deputy Director Frances Foley in conversation to discuss how progressives can build their collective power across the North ahead of the next general election. He called on the Labour Party to \u2018lose its ambivalence to devolution\u2019 and reflected on the mistakes New Labour made in leaving this programme of democratic renewal unfinished, warning that without electoral reform and a rewiring of our political system, we could be looking at \u2018another Tory-dominated century.\u2019 He said proportional representation could bring about a \u2018massive switch of power to the people over the vested interests\u2019, adding: \u201cWe have a parliament that doesn\u2019t represent all people and all places equally. How can that possibly be acceptable to anybody in 2023?\u201d<\/p>\n

They added that \u201cWinning As One<\/em> means that instead of working against each other, progressives will campaign and fight together \u2013 not just against<\/em> the Conservatives, but for<\/em> a different, more collaborative kind of politics….at the last election, there was a higher concentration of \u2018progressive tragedy\u2019 seats in Greater Manchester than anywhere else in the country.\u00a0These are seats where support for progressive parties outnumbered support for the Conservatives at the last general election, but the Tories still won because the progressive vote was split. Over half a million voters in Greater Manchester are represented by a Conservative who benefitted from this progressive division. We can\u2019t let this happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Lancashire Story<\/strong><\/h5>\n

I\u2019m enjoying Ged Melia\u2019s latest novel \u2013 A Lancashire Story<\/em>. It is initially set in a working class (Irish Catholic) family from Farnworth though we follow the fortunes of the family from as Austin progresses his career is an engineer \u2013 initially in a local colliery, then in the cotton industry. The novel features Allen Clarke\u2019s \u2018Teddy Ashton\u2019 stories and also the Winter Hill Trespass of 1896. Ged has done his homework and it represents a realistic picture of working class life in south Lancashire at the end of the 19th<\/sup> century. I\u2019m half way through so looking forward to reading how the family fortunes end. A Lancashire Story<\/em> is available on Amazon.<\/p>\n

The Parbold Bottle<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It was very nice to get an email from retired medic Ken Hampden, about a mysterious monument about our political history \u2013 The Parbold Bottle (thanks to being touch through the People\u2019s History Museum). The \u2018Parbold Bottle\u2019 (see pic on the left with Ken) was erected in the 1830s following the passing of the 1832 Reform Act and is sited on the top of Parbold Hill, close to the Beacon. It looks across the Lancashire Plan and out to the Irish Sea.\u00a0 The monument was originally sited a bit higher up but was relocated on a nearby spot in the 1950s. \"\"The monument poses many questions: who erected it and why there? The local landowner doesn\u2019t appear to have been even moderately radical and Parbold wasn\u2019t notable for its revolutionary zeal, though there were several local pits in the area. Why would the landowner have permitted the monument on his land? The 1832 was of course something of a damp squib, and disappointed working class hopes for at least make suffrage. The Chartist Movement emerged in the late 1830s to demand a much wider suffrage but the process took decades, with full adult suffrage taking nearly a century to achieve. It was interesting talking to Ken about the need for a modern day \u2018Reform Act\u2019 that would include proportional representation and regional devolution.\u00a0 For now, the Parbold Bottle remains an enigma. It\u2019s easy to locate: either walk up from the village or park at the top of Parbold Hill (ice cream van on hand) and walk down a short distance and a path goes off to the left. The monument is well looked after by the local and has some information about its history, as much as we know,<\/p>\n

Salvo Shorts<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Pear Mill<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a great fan of old mill buildings, particularly where they are being put to good modern-day uses. Yorkshire has probably more than we have over here, not least Salt\u2019s Mill at Saltaire and the amazing mill complex in Halifax. However, there are some good examples around, particularly (as you\u2019d expect) Manchester but also in East Lancs, Preston and Rochdale. Bolton continues to allow its mill heritage to be torn down. It was really interesting to visit Stockport recently and have a look round Pear Mill.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Daughter Alice with Pear Mill (the Pearly Gates?)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is amazingly well-preserved and was one of the later examples of spinning mill, completed in 1912. There s a very good \u2018antiques market\u2019 with a caf\u00e9, and also a shop selling oatcakes (the Derbyshire version but very nice).\u00a0 Nearby Vernon Mill has some galleries but we didn\u2019t get chance to look: a good reason for a return visit. Very much welcome for other good examples of mill conversions\/exciting uses for former mills or other industrial buildings.<\/p>\n

Bradford-by-the-Sea: days out in Morecambe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is Morecambe finally on the up? It looks so, following the granting of the half the cost of the new Eden Project, which will be located very close to what remains of Morecambe station. I\u2019ve been a couple of times recently and liked the feel of the town. It isn\u2019t as lively as when I lived there in 1971 when I was in my first year at Lancaster, but has gone through difficult times since. The Midland Hotel has made a huge difference to the town and I like the public art, mostly featuring birds and poetry, on view around the place. Heysham (by the way, pronounced \u2018Hee-shum\u2019) is a delightful spot and I found a place that still settles Nettle Beer (though not produced in the village any more). St Patrick\u2019s church is one of the most lovely places anywhere, with fabulous views out to Morecambe Bay and (if you\u2019ve good eyesight) \"\"Station House at Kents Bank. It\u2019s a very pleasant walk from Heysham village back into Morecambe past \u2019The Battery\u2019. Highly recommended is\u00a0 Atkinson\u2019s\u00a0 fish restaurant on Albert Road.<\/p>\n

I hope the train service improves. The community rail partnership for the Bentham Line (Leeds- Lancaster-Morecambe\u2019) has been doing a grand job and has promoted the route as Britain\u2019s first \u2018dementia friendly line\u2019.\u00a0 Bare Lane, next station up the line, is a great example of station adoption. But Morecambe needs a better rail service including electrification (only a couple of miles required) and direct trains to Manchester and Liverpool.<\/p>\n

Bradford itsel: JB Priestley celebrated in his home city<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was very impressed by Bradford\u2019s Literature Festival which took place last week. I only managed to get to one event, but it was well worth the trip over from Accrington. The event was \u2018Inspired by JB Priestley\u2019s English Journey\u2019 and was hosted by my pal Lindsay Sutton, who is also chair of the JB Priestley Society. Lindsay was born and bred in Bradford and had the good sense to move to Lancashire in his later years, probably trying to instill a bit of sense in us Lancs. (sorry Lindsay, couldn\u2019t resist that). The panel discussion was introduced by Lindsay who had the pleasure of meeting Priestley in his later years and challenged him about why he travelled around the country for English Journey in a chauffeur-driven car! The panelists were John Higgs and Kathryn Walchester who both contributed fascinating aspects of Priestley\u2019s work.\u00a0 After that we adjourned to the Midland Hotel, which is always a delight. Maybe Priestley\u2019s ghost was lurking in the bar enjoying a glass of Taylor\u2019s bitter.<\/p>\n

Kents Bank in Party Mode<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Friends of Kents Bak Station and Foreshore held a very jolly Station Garden Party in May. There were plenty of stalls (the Plant Stall proved particularly popular) as well as an excellent local band (The Sands Band, see pic). There was a visiting mini traction engine and (thanks to \"\"Community rail Network) a special bus operating between the station, Allithwaite and Cartmel. The weather was lovely and it was great to see visiting station friends from as far afield as Mytholmroyd, Reddish South, Marple, Settle, Bolton and Littleboorugh. Thanks to Northern for their support.<\/p>\n

Local MP Tim Farron visited the station recently and was impressed with the great work being done by the station volunteers. \"\"Meanwhile, the Beach Hut Gallery at the station has a new exhibition for the summer period. Well worth popping in, there\u2019s some great stuff (open Thursday to Sunday 11.00 to 16.00)<\/p>\n

Platform 5 Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

The P5 Gallery at Bolton Station has been hosting a great exhibition by students at Woodbridge College, following on from the success of their show last year. \u2018True Colours\u2019 is running for a few more weeks.<\/p>\n

Explore Rivington by Bus \u2013 for Nowt!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The popular country park at Rivington is usually only accessible by car (or bike). However, for the third time running, South East Lancashire CRP has organised a Sundays\/Bank Holidays bus service to serve the area. It\u2019s the 125R and this year is operated by Stagecoach. It runs every hour from 10.40 to 16.40, from Horwich Parkway station via<\/p>\n

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The 125R heads back towards Horwich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Middlebrook and Horwich. It returns from Rivington Village Hall every hour from 11.00 17.00 and operates on a\u00a0 \u2018hail and ride\u2019 basis. \u00a0It does a loop from Horwich via Rivington Lane, Horrobin Lane and back along New Road and Bolton Road to Horwich. IT\u2019s FREE! Many thanks to Horwich Town Council and TfGM for their support.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Margaret: <\/strong>Thursday 6th July from 5.30 to 7.30 pm<\/b>\u00a0in the Hive Gallery, Market Place Shopping Centre, Bolton.<\/div>\n

Celebrating the life and achievements of the late Margaret Jackson through an exhibition of her artwork assembled by her family. These stunning works have been donated by them in the hope they will raise funds for the Bolton Hospice and Bury Hospital Cancer Ward, both of which looked after Margaret towards the end of her life.\u00a0Margaret’s work explored many subjects and issues from trees and landscapes to mystical places, protest groups, allotments and architecture and the diversity and variety within the exhibition makes it quite unique.<\/p>\n

Lancastrians<\/em><\/strong>: at a gradely book shop near you <\/strong><\/h5>\n

Lancastrians: Mills, Mines and Minarets \u2013 a new history is now available, <\/em>published by<\/em> the highly-respected publishers Hurst whose catalogue is well worth a look at it. See https:\/\/www.hurstpublishers.com\/catalogues\/spring-summer-2023\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The publisher\u2019s blurb says says: \u201cThis long-overdue popular history explores the cultural heritage and identity of Lancashire. Paul Salveson traces to the thirteenth century the origins of a distinct county stretching from the Mersey to the Lake District\u2014\u2018Lancashire North of the Sands\u2019. From a relatively backward place in terms of industry and learning, Lancashire would become the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution: the creation of a self-confident bourgeoisie drove economic growth, and industrialists had a strong commitment to the arts, endowing galleries and museums and producing a diverse culture encompassing science, technology, music and literature. Lancashire developed a distinct business culture, its shrine being the Manchester Cotton Exchange, but this was also the birthplace of the world co-operative movement, and the heart of campaigns for democracy including Chartism and women\u2019s suffrage.<\/p>\n

Lancashire has generally welcomed incomers, who have long helped to inform its distinctive identity: fourteenth-century Flemish weavers; nineteenth-century Irish immigrants and Jewish refugees; and, more recently, New Lancastrians from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. The book explores what has become of Lancastrian culture, following modern upheavals and Lancashire\u2019s fragmentation compared with its old rival Yorkshire. What is the future for the 6 million people of this rich historic region?\u201d<\/p>\n

The book has chapters covering culture, politics, sport, leisure, industry, religion as well as a \u2018Cook\u2019s Tour\u2019 of the county (mostly by train). It explores the Lancastrians who left for new lives in America, Canada, Russia and South Africa, as well as the \u2018New Lancastrians\u2019 who have settled in the county since the 14th<\/sup> century. There are about forty \u2018potted biographies\u2019 of men and women who have made important (but often neglected) contributions to Lancashire.<\/p>\n

The book is published on June 29th<\/sup> 2023 in hardback, price \u00a325. Salvo readers can get a 25% discount by going to the publisher\u2019s website (www.hurstpublishers.com<\/a>) and enter the code LANCASTRIANS25 at checkout.<\/p>\n

Lancastrians Launched around Lancashire<\/strong><\/h5>\n

There are quite a few \u2018launch\u2019 events planned for the book. This is the current list up to mid-August:<\/p>\n